Despite the mid-semester break for students of the University, business activities in and around the campus still record high volume of sales. Some of the entrepreneurs have expressed their satisfaction with business activities. According to the Managing Director of Cakeville, situated at the Cooperative Shopping Plaza, Mrs. Chi Olajide, whose business cuts across events management, decoration, cake making and catering services, recorded high patronage among staff of the University. According to her, “Business is going on as usual but it’s a bit slow because the students on training assist greatly in getting work done in time and they would also be missing out from the ongoing training”. She, however, pleaded with the University Management to quickly resolve the issues, so that the students could resume.
Corroborating Cakeville’s MD, Miss Rebecca Abu of Beckie’s Place, a Fashion Designing Outfit, also located at the Cooperative Shopping Plaza, stated that though there was a slight decline in patronage, the business was still thriving as several orders had been placed before the break. She added that her customers cut across all strata of the members of the University community, noting that the absence of the students have not really impacted her business negatively.
In a related d
evelopment, Mrs. Kabirat Makinde, who owns Iya Waris Canteen, a Food Vendor at the University Health Centre, noted the high influx of customers inspite of the mid-semester break, stating that bulk of her customers were staff from the University. She, however, said that it would be her joy if the students resume, adding that her profit would also increase as demands would be higher. In a separate chat with the MD, Kito Shoemaker and a renowned cobbler on campus, Mr. Segun Owosa, who operates at the Motor Park, said that despite the fact that the business was not moving the way it should be due to the break, he thanked God for the provision of his daily bread. He added that students and staff are part of his major numerous customers but the later patronised him the more.
Meanwhile, during the just-concluded Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME) Screening Exercise in the University, hotels around Camp area, a suburb of FUNAAB, recorded high volume of patronage as prospective students sought accommodation in order to punctually attend their early-morning scheduled interviews. In a brief chat with the MD, PeakOlam Suites, Pastor (Mrs.) Yinka Okuneye, students had never been the major customers when it comes to accommodation, adding that sales had not been as buoyant as it used to be due, perhaps to the break.